Deputy Connolly mentioned slippage, and it is something we must all guard against. I wish both the Minister and the Minister of State well in their briefs in the time ahead and I look forward to a constructive working relationship. I ask the Minister for an update on both the veterinary and the pharmacy courses at South East Technological University. These are crucially important. They were announced last year to great fanfare and after much anticipation. Are we still on course for those courses to begin in September 2025? As other speakers have said about other parts of the country, the agricultural and equine sectors are very big in Waterford and the wider south-east region. We need that veterinary capacity in our new university. There is also a burgeoning pharmaceutical sector operating in Waterford city and county, including in my own town of Dungarvan, and in the wider region, including Kilkenny and Wexford. We need to know that this pharmacy course will be available in September 2025. I would be grateful for an acknowledgement or update from the Minister regarding both of those.
Sentiment score: 0.17
We are on the theme of slippage.
Sentiment score: 0.00
9. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps his Department is taking to address the challenges faced by young carers and young adult carers pursuing courses at third level. [14632/25]
Sentiment score: 0.15
This is a very serious issue. My question relates to the situation of young adult carers in higher and further education. We had a comprehensive debate on the more broad topic of young carers and young adult carers in this House last week. My question relates to the Department's efforts, schemes and steps to support young carers and young adult carers to access education, stay in it and benefit from it.
Sentiment score: 0.20
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an bhfreagra sin. I thank the Minister for his response. The most recent census in 2022 tells us that there are almost 5,000 young carers in this State. Undoubtedly, the number of young people and young adults providing care is much greater as it often goes unreported, unsupported and unacknowledged. By unsupported I mean people who do not avail of many of those payments. The number of young people providing the highest level of care, more than 43 hours a week, doubled between 2016 and 2022. From speaking to young carers, social workers, social care workers and advocates, it is clear the increase is down to a chronic lack of services, ranging from access to healthcare, disability services and supports, underfunding of the wider social care sector and mental health services and drug and alcohol strategies that have never been properly resourced. Not only financial supports are needed. Academic and social supports are needed as well as the communications piece so that young carers and young adults providing care know they can avail of supports in their chosen universities or colleges.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I thank the Minister for the elaboration. It is clear there are supports available. It is about accessing those supports and for students to know they are available and make sure they are kept under review so that they can respond to emerging challenges, unforeseen challenges and circumstances and continue engagement with advocates in particular and young carers and young adult carers. Another related factor is older carers - mature students, people returning to education who provide care or who during the course of accessing further education find themselves having to provide care. It is important that while we talk about young carers and young adult carers, we also have regard to mature students who perform a caring role as well and make sure every step possible can be taken to ensure they can access and stay in further and higher education and avail of the full benefit of that education.
Sentiment score: 0.72